Brooklyn Nets: Kyrie Irving represents changing of the (point) guard

With Kyrie Irving reportedly agreeing to a four-year max deal with the Brooklyn Nets, they will enter the 2019-20 season with a different look at the point.

As part of a superstar package deal, the Brooklyn Nets will reportedly be signing All-NBA point guard Kyrie Irving after the NBA moratorium is lifted on July 6.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Sunday morning that Irving would be meeting with the Nets as soon as the negotiating period officially opened at 6 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, with a four-year, $142 million max contract the likely result.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Sunday evening that Irving had, in fact, agreed to the deal, that will include a player option for the final season in 2022-23.

Sources: Kyrie Irving has agreed to a four-year, $142M deal with Brooklyn. Fourth-year player option.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2019

Irving’s addition, along with bringing in Kevin Durant — who announced his decision to commit to the Nets Sunday night on Instagram — and DeAndre Jordan, will signal the end in Brooklyn for All-Star point guard D’Angelo Russell, who will be replaced in the starting unit by Irving next season.

Irving, an eight-year NBA veteran who was the No. 1 overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011, spent the last two seasons with the Boston Celtics and was named to the All-NBA second team in 2018-19.

The six-time All-Star averaged 23.8 points, a career-high 6.9 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 33.0 minutes per game last season, shooting 48.7 percent overall and 40.1 percent on 6.5 3-point attempts per game.

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But he also missed 15 games with various ailments and has missed less than 10 games just once in his eight seasons.

Irving also was at the center of some locker room drama in Boston, as the team’s younger players — who led the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2018 without injured Irving and Gordon Hayward — had some difficulty adjusting to having the two bigger-name players back.

Irving also struggled mightily in the playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks, shooting just 30.1 percent over the final four games of the series as the Celtics lost four consecutive games and were eliminated after blowing out the Bucks in Milwaukee in Game 1.

But as well as Russell played for the Nets last season, he’s not yet at the same level as Irving, who posted higher shooting percentages across the board last season and is a much better shooter over the course of his career.

Russell shot career-highs of 43.4 percent overall and 36.9 percent on 7.8 3-point attempts per game. In his four-year career, Russell’s marks are 41.9 percent and 35.3 percent, respectively.

Irving has never shot worse than 43 percent overall or 32.1 percent from 3-point range in a season and has career marks of 46.5 percent and 39.0 percent, respectively.

In the pick-and-roll, a staple of Kenny Atkinson’s offense in Brooklyn, Russell averaged 0.89 points per possession as the handler on the play last season, averaging 11.4 possessions per game out of the pick-and-roll — a frequency rate of 49.9 percent that trailed only Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams of the LA Clippers (54.6 percent).

Irving averaged only 6.6 P&R possessions per game — a frequency rate of 29.4 percent — but did average 0.99 points per possession.

In isolation, Irving had a frequency rate of 13.2 percent and averaged 0.98 points per possession. Russell checked in at a 10.8 percent frequency rate and 0.83 points per possession.

Russell was a fan favorite at Barclays Center and emerged as a leader for a Nets team that returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

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Irving will come to a situation where the expectations will be far greater because of the newfound star caliber of the roster, but the South Orange, N.J., native also has a strong following within the fan base.

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